


Drowning For Your Love

by emeraldsandstardust



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, F/M, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Loki (Marvel) Does What He Wants, Loki (Marvel) Feels, MerMay, Merman Loki, Ocean, Sweet Loki (Marvel), Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 18:53:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25560130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emeraldsandstardust/pseuds/emeraldsandstardust
Summary: You live by the sea, and one day you find your curiosity gets the better of you, when you discover a beautiful man in the water....But is that really a man?(Merman!Loki x Reader. This is one of my older fics and so the writing standard really isn't up to par with what I'm doing now. Keeping it up for achive's sake, though. If enough people want it, I would be willing to do a rewrite!)
Relationships: Loki (Marvel) & Reader, Loki (Marvel)/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	1. one

Calm.

If there was anything that was enjoyable about living by the sea, it was the calm.

At least you thought so.

Sure, it could get windy sometimes, and the ocean could get pretty loud, but to you that was calming. To you there was nothing more peaceful than a nice autumn afternoon with Mother Nature, on a quiet walk down the rocky cliff edges.  
Your house wasn't far from there, quite close, actually, and no one else really lived here. There was, of course, the occasional dog walkers passing through, or the families with the loud wailing children and pink snotty noses, but today there was none of that. 

And so you enjoyed the chilly walk, watching the water crashing into the dark rock with a kind of satisfaction that nature was doing its job well.  
That peace lasted about an hour, until the cold season sun began setting early as usual. A pale ball of light turning the once greyish sky brilliant, explosive shades of red, orange and pink, with touches of purple and yellow mixed in as if it were a beautiful watercolour painted by none other than Van Gogh himself.  
You paused to admire the sunset for a moment, stood outside the door of your seaside cottage. Inhaling the familiar salty air. Feeling the chill of the cold wind against your face.

Just being.

Now, with the doors to the outside closed, it seemed like you had opened a portal into an entirely different world. Warm and cosy and comfortable. Disorderly in the best kind of way. 

Home.

You lived by the seaside, and you wouldn't have it any other way.  
Shrugging off the large black coat you wore, and sliding the (f/c) scarf off your neck, you walked further in to your living room. Everything was just how you left it.  
You made your way into your kitchen, flickering the warm yellow lights on and went right over to get yourself a cup of (f/d).  
Once that had been done, you returned to the living room, careful not to spill the contents of your favorite cup, and sat down on your sofa. You placed the drink on the coffee table at your feet as you made yourself comfortable for the evening, planning on spending it all on a wonderous marathon of (f/s).  
You smiled to yourself, throwing a blanket on your legs and picking up the (f/d), your other hand searching for the TV remote that you knew well was buried somewhere between those goddamn cushions.  
Once you finally found the remote, you could happily begin watching, enjoying the wondorous start of your week off work, and not thinking of anything else.

Until you heard it, that is.  
The scream.  
It wasn't really a scream, though. It was so much more.  
It began as an angry, raging roar, before it contorted into pained screeches, before finally pleading howls.  
It made your blood turn cold, your spine straightening instantly. You froze, staying still for a moment as you assessed the situation.

It came from the rocky area of the cliffs, not the beachy area. The place you took a walk on. It sounded male, at least at first it did. Afterwards, the pain, the scream, you didn't know what creature made that noise. It would at least be painful for a human throat to make that noise, but you didn't list it off as impossible.  
And the last thing you realized was that silence followed.  
You had moved before you could register yourself doing it. Throwing on your black coat and (f/c) scarf, grabbing your phone and turning on the flashlight mode, ready to see in the dark but also to call emergency services as soon as needed.  
You ran out of the house, barely remembering to close the door after yourself as you lunged headfirst into the now ruthless, freezing winds.  
Running toward the rocky area, you noticed something, it seemed like a thin pole flashing in the distance, against the light of your flashlight. You ran toward the area, checking for any threats first. 

Clambering onto the fairly tall rock, you knew you would end up now in a sort of rock pool-esque area, though it was deeper than that and connected to the ocean. More of a marsh, really.  
Once you climbed up to the rock and got a good view of the water, your jaw dropped. You almost dropped your phone.


	2. two

The shiny metal pole?  
That was a steel hook, as long as your arm.   
What it was stabbed into was the matter of your shock, however.  
Well, it was stabbed into a fish tail. But the fish tail was huge. And it connected to a man.  
Well, the body of one, at least.

He was floating in the water, his eyes closed, yet his chest heaving up and down, unconsious. Now you know where the scream came from. He was incredibly pale, yet beautifully so. In the darkness of the rippling water, it made him look a sort of etheral.  
Then his hair.  
It took you a while to notice just how long it was, for it was as black as the night mirroring onto the water, dark like the depths of the ocean he most likely came from. It would have reached his waist, had it not been floating around him freely.   
His tail was magnificently long and somehow still managed to shine beautifully in the dim light he was in. It was long, longer than human legs anyway, maybe even twice that length. It was a shade of bluey green that you had never seen before, yet you were very glad to have seen now. He had similarly coloured fins on his forearms, and you also noticed that his ears were pointed and long like an elves, and his fingers partly webbed. 

Now you really didn't know what to do.  
Was he a real merman? Had the stories and the movies and the books you've seen all been telling the truth?   
He couldn't be.  
And yet he was right in front of you.

What if he was just one of those people that swim around in fake mermaid tails?  
No. His tail was impaled with a hook in two areas, and was bleeding. There was no way it could be fake.

Finally deciding to believe, at least for now, that this was a real merman, you then decided to focus on the main problem.  
He was hurt. You needed to help.  
Calling the emergency services would be pointless.   
'Hi, yes, I found a merman, he's injured.' did not sound like something a sane person would say. You would be put in hospital before he was.   
And there was that small, selfish part of you that knew that if police found him, you'd never see him again, and this... 

This was too good an opportunity to pass up.  
A chance to meet a real life merperson.  
And with that thought, you decided you would help him yourself. 

Rather stupidly, you threw the black coat off your body, leaving it dry at the rocky shore, and tucked your phone into one of its pockets.  
Clambering into the water, it didn't take long at all to realize that it was chest length at most, and so you rather easily trodded over to the creature.   
The water was freezing. You were gasping and shivering, but you were in too metaphorically deep to back out now.   
You first moved to his tail, where the hook was stabbed through. It went through the actual tail and into his fin too, but it looked quite easily removable so you set to work, glancing up at the man's face every so often to see if he awoke, but he stayed unconsious throughout the entire process. 

Once the hook was out, the tail wound began bleeding badly again, crimson blood staining the water around you like paints. You unhesitantly grabbed the scarf around your neck, and wrapped it around the wound, tying it tightly to stop the bleeding as well as you could.

Now, you thought. What to do with him?

You couldn't just leave him in the water, you simply couldn't.   
Not for now, at least, when he was hurt and vulnerable.   
Shivering, you grabbed him by the hips firmly and hauled him so he lay on the rock, looking peaceful as ever in his unconscious state.   
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open.


	3. three

Inconveniently, the first thing that you registered was that his irises were the same exact beautiful bluey green as his tail.  
Beautiful.  
Then you realized he was staring right back at you intently.

Did merpeople speak English?

"...H-Hello." You eventually mumbled, quite awkwardly. The man continued staring, and you resisted the urge to squirm. His gaze was intense and deep, almost as if he was staring at your soul, judging it.  
"Hello?" You repeated quietly. "Do you speak English?"  
"Of course I speak English, you idiotic woman!"  
At least he understood you.

"Who are you?" You asked curiously.  
"I could ask you the same." The merman snapped, sitting up straight. He winced when his tail brushed against a rock, before noticing the scarf tied around it.  
"What is that you have bound me with, human?" He demanded. You followed his gaze to his tail (you had been admiring him while he wasn't looking), and you jumped a little, remembering that he was in fact wounded.  
"Oh! You were injured!" You exclaimed, pointing to the bloody hook that was now laying on a seperate rock. "This was all I had right now to stop the bleeding, but if you wait here I can go and get a first ai-"  
"I have no need of your petty human medicines." The dark haired man snarled. You closed your mouth, frowning. How rude.  
"Fine." You muttered, a little annoyed now. "I guess I'll go, then." You didn't really want to go, but you were stubborn if anything. You stood up, ready to walk off, when-

"Wait."

You swiveled around, barely holding in your burst of sudden excitement. Did he change his mind?  
"You forgot your coat."  
Oh.  
"S-So I did." You mumbled, bending down and grabbing the black coat from beside him. The merman watched you, a soft smirk on his features as he observed your expression. "I'll wait no longer than fifteen minutes." He murmured, folding his arms and leaning back, watching you expectantly. You stared, almost not getting it until...  
"Ohh! See you in a few, then!"  
You broke into a run back toward your cottage, excitement pumping through you. It took you no longer than ten minutes to return, dressed in new, dry clothes. You carried a bag in which you had thrown in everything needed to help the mysterious merman. 

Clambering up onto the rock, you couldn't stop the gleeful smile that reached your lips as you saw a gleam of that beautiful tail. So it wasn't a hallucination!  
"Took you long enough."  
"Excuse me!" You laughed. "I did that in record timing, thank you very much."  
The man snorted, shaking his head. "Just get it over with." You rolled your eyes, sitting at his hips while his long tail curled, the injured area landing right in your lap. You began untying the bloodied scarf, tossing it to the side as you observed the wound. You were never one to be squeamish and you knew how to treat wounds surprisingly well, however, even you visibly winced at the sight of it. The man peered over to look at his tail, before quickly pulling back and looking away, his face paling a little more.  
"Well, this is certainly..." You cringed as the distinct smell of blood and salt water hit you. "How did you do this?"  
"That's none of your business." The dark haired man snapped. You sighed. "Okay... Well, it's obviously very deep, and... I dunno whether this'd need stitches or not..."  
"Stitches?"  
"Like, sewing the wound shut."  
He let out a horrified cry. "Absolutely not! Don't you dare pierce my precious scales with your human needles and-"  
"Okay, okay! I get it." You said quickly. "No stitches."  
"None." He confirmed.  
"So, like... What healing methods do you have...under the sea?" You snorted at the Little Mermaid pun. The man did not seem amused, or probably just didn't get it.  
"Magic." He replied simply.  
"Well, can't you use magic on the wound?"  
"No. I am not experienced enough in healing magic to be able to fix a wound as severe as this."  
You nodded. "What's your name, by the way?"  
The merman looked taken aback by the sudden question, but answered in a cautious tone.  
"I am Loki."  
"Loki. Cool name. I'm (y/n)."  
"(y/n)." Loki repeated. "Oddly...beautiful, to be paired with a woman like you."  
You wisely ignored the backhanded compliment, and began working on the wound. "Right. I think I'll start with cleaning it, just to get all the blood off. It's mainly stopped bleeding, but I want you to move your tail as little as possible so it doesn't start again and make a mess."  
"I'm glad you put the hygiene of rocks above my well-being." Loki said dryly. You looked up at him, shaking your head. "If someone finds the blood and tests on it, they could discover who you are and try and hunt you down and put you in like, Area 51 or something."  
"What is an Area 51?"  
"It's where they supposedly experiment on any other intelligent life that is not human." You replied as you cleaned Loki's wound.  
"Why would they? What do these experiments consist of?"  
You shrugged. "Beats me, though I don't think I wanna know. I heard stories of how they take aliens apart to see how they function." Loki shuddered a little. "You humans are vile." He sneered. "Hey, don't group us together. We don't all think that." You defended. He rolled his eyes, but didn't bother speaking. 

"So," you said after a moment of silence, eyes still trained on the wound you were tending to. "What's it like to be a merman?" Loki looked over at you, a look of amusement crossing his handsome features. "What's it like to be a human?" He countered, making you look up at him, sighing with exasperation.  
"I'll tell you if you tell me."  
You felt a little proud at the small laugh this got out of him. "What is there to tell? We each have our own qualities and traits, abilities and weaknesses, strengths and limitations."  
The way he spoke, he made it sound like you were his equal.  
"...Mine are obviously better than yours, since you are a mortal, but..." He trailed off, shrugging. You rolled your eyes. Of course. "Whatever. Look, I've done all I can for this," you gestured to his injured tail, "but it needs its time to heal. I assume you heal quicker than us poor defenceless mortals, oh mighty fish person?" You asked condescendingly, a smirk playing your lips as he glared at you upon hearing the words 'fish person'.  
"Merperson, and yes, we heal much quicker than you simple mortals." He replied boastingly. You chuckled, rubbing the tiredness out of your eyes as your vision began spinning. "Good." You murmured, your breathing suddenly getting shallow and quick. Loki's eyes widened as he saw you swaying on the spot.  
"Cause I don't think this simple mortal can stay awake much longer."

With that, you collapsed, the darkness surrounding you like an old friend.


	4. four

When you became once again consious of yourself, the first thing you registered was how cold you were. You were absolutely freezing. You then realized you were laying on something slippery and uncomfortable, and it was making your shoulder ache. Finally, you noticed the singing.

It was very nice singing.  
Very quiet, and in a language you didn’t understand nor recognize. You groaned softly at your aching shoulder and heard the singing stop, much to your disappointment. You opened your eyes, looking around. You saw Loki above you, looking down with a cautious gaze. You must have been laying on his lap. You smiled awkwardly, and he didn’t return it. Sitting up, you rolled your aching shoulder back.  
“Wha-”  
“You blacked out. There was really not much I could do but wait for you to awake.” He said before you could even finish the question. You nodded slowly, deciding not to mention the singing. “What time is it…” You grumbled tiredly.  
“Judging by the positioning of the moon, I would say around midnight.”  
“The positio-what? Just check my phone, its in my pocket.” You muttered, looking up at Loki’s confused gaze.  
“Check your what?”  
Oh yeah. “Nevermind.” You mumbled, reaching a hand into your coat pocket and pulling out your phone. It read 12:34 am. “You were right.” You shrugged. “It’s midnight, and I’m tired, and I want my bed.” You whined quite childishly. Loki rolled his eyes. “Then go.” He said.  
“Yeah, but then I’d leave you injured!” You replied, whipping your head round to check his tail, groaning when the sudden movement made your vision swirl and nausea rise to your throat. You felt a cool hand press against your forehead, and a slight shimmer of green, before the headache and dizziness was completely gone. “Oh-” You mumbled, stunned. “Th-Thanks?”  
“My healing magic may not be strong, but it is not incompetent.” The dark haired man replied a little sarcastically. You chuckled, trying to rub away the tingles his hand left on your skin. “Its not the fact that you have magic, although that’s a bit crazy too. It’s the fact that you used it on me.”  
“Naturally, I would want to repay the person that helped heal me.” Loki replied as if it were obvious. You shrugged. “Fair enough.” You turned to look at his injury, more slowly now. You smiled. It was at least half as deep as it were before. Merpeople really do heal quickly. “You would not mind pouring some water over it?” Loki asked, his dark green gaze fixed on his pale hand which he was running over the rock beside him. You raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t salt water sting?”  
“Not us, mortal. You really aren’t the brightest, are you?” He snickered a little, looking up at you. You scoffed and rolled your eyes, tiredness making you all the more grumpy. “Sorry for not knowing everything about a race I didn’t even know existed.”  
Loki let out a short laugh at your sarcasm, making you smile, no matter how much you didn’t want to. It was an infectious sound. You leaned back toward the water, cupping a handful before carefully pouring it over the wound on Loki’s tail. You heard him moan in relief, and chuckled.  
“You could dip it into the water.”  
“Movement hurts.” He muttered out, closing his eyes and relaxing. You giggled a little, before biting back a yawn, and failing. Loki opened his eyes slowly, eyeing you with that careful look about him that sent a small shiver down your spine.  
“You should return to your home, mortal, and sleep. Your race is frail, you need it a lot more than we do.”  
“ ’m fine.” You mumbled, not very convincingly. He snickered..“What if I make a deal with you?” He said eventually. You looked up at him with half lidded, tired eyes.

“You have piqued my interest, fish man.”  
“Merperson.”  
“Sardine boy.”  
“I-what?”  
“Whale-”  
“Okay, stop.”  
“But I haven’t even mentioned the sea hors-”  
“Stop.” Loki shuddered. You smirked, folding your arms.  
“What is this deal you speak of, salmon child?”  
Loki glared at you. “One more name like that you’ll never know.” He warned. “It was worth it.” You mumbled with a small smile. The dark haired man rolled his eyes. “If you go home and rest, I promise I shall meet you here tomorrow at dusk.”  
You paused, thinking it through for a second. “...Promise?” You mumbled.  
He nodded. “Promise.”  
“Pinky promise?”  
“What now?”  
“It was worth a shot. I’ll take you up on your deal. See you tomorrow, Loki.” You said with a smile, standing up. You grabbed your bag, zipped up your coat, and leaned down to press a chaste, innocent kiss to his forehead.  
“Try not to get another spear through your tail in the meantime.” You added, feeling proud at the chuckle this got from him. “I can certainly try. Goodnight, little mortal.”  
“Night, fish boy.” You hummed, clambering over the rock to make your way back to your cottage, ready to be lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves as you usually did.  
Yeah.  
Living by the sea was definitely a good idea.


	5. five

To say that you were restless the next day was an understatement. The impatience of wanting to see Loki again combined with the few hours of sleep you had that night was a very simple recipe for disaster.  
You were brief, not talking much, hazy minded, and a little grumpy. Part you was scared that Loki had had that effect on you already. But then again. He’s a goddamn merman.  
And a hot one at that.  
Wait, what?

“(y/n). (y/n), are you even listening to me?!”  
You jumped upon hearing your best friend’s voice.  
“Wh-what? Oh, yeah. Totally.”  
(B/f/n) rolled their eyes.  
“Mhmm. What could you have possibly been daydreaming about that trumps my story of the girl at the shoe store?”  
Without thinking, you blurted out.  
“Mermen.”  
(B/f/n) stared at you for a moment, disbelievingly, before bursting into a fit of laughter.  
“Mermen! You were daydreaming about mermen?”  
You nodded, cheeks flushing. It was all you could do by now, play along.  
“Why mermen?” They asked, raising an eyebrow curiously. You shrugged, mind racing. Because I think I met one. “Because I live on the coast, y'know?”  
The answer was simple, vague, not really even an answer, but (b/f/n) seemed to buy it. They laughed again, looking at you with a gleeful smile. “Mermen. You really come up with the most random things sometimes. But I guess meeting a merman would be cool. Especially if he was hot and all…”  
Oh, he’s hot.  
“Yeah.” You answered lamely. “Yeah, it would.”  
“Gorgeous blonde hair… Deep blue eyes…” (B/f/n) feigned a dreamy look, leaning their head back and pressing the back of their hand to their forehead. I prefer them dark haired and green eyed.  
“…saving you from a near death experience…” (B/f/n) continued overdramatically. It was pretty much the other way around. “…and then giving you the kiss of life!” I wish. (B/f/n) laughed again, dropping the joking act. “Right, well, come on. (F/s) won’t finish watching itself!”  
“Right.” You mumbled, smiling a little and turning back to the TV screen. Your mind still on Loki. 

You waited for sunset impatiently, sat in your living room and gazing out of the window, a mug of coffee in your hands. You didn’t want to start falling asleep an hour after seeing him, and you’d also nade sure to take a nap too. You were determined to get to know this merman. Your head pressed against the cool glass of the window, you sat thinking. You wondered if Loki was currently waiting impatiently to see you, or if he was dreading it and planning a quick escape.  
Or not turning up at all.  
You felt the small, childish, gullible side of you speak up..But he promised. A soft sigh left your lips, and you guessed you’d have to go and find out.  
You stood up, walking out of your living room and into your kitchen, putting the now empty mug into the sink.  
You then made your way over to your bedroom, opening the warderobe and pulling out clothes.  
Cute but practical.  
It would be freezing, of course. Living by the coast made autumns like this all the more chilly, and that low temperature dropped even further when the sun went down.  
You eventually put together an outfit, consisting of comfortable, yet form fitting jeans layered on top of leggings, combat boots, a hoodie, a thick, warm coat, and your usual (f/c) scarf wrapped tightly around your neck.  
You pulled the hood of your hoodie up as you stepped out into the dark, checking your phone. It had just gone seven, you had plenty of time. You began making your way toward the marshey, isolated area where you first saw Loki. Excitement began bubbling up in your chest, and you quickened your pace.  
You clambered up over the familiar rock, looking down at the marsh only to find it empty. Your smile faded a little, but you approached anyway, standing at the edge of the shallow water.  
You stared at it, rippling softly and reflecting your face between the dim light of the just-present moon and twinkling stars.  
Did he forget?  
Did he not want to come?  
Did he lie?  
Does he even exist?  
The thoughts disappeared suddenly when you saw a familiar gleam of a gorgeous green tail in the water, long and sleek and regal.  
A small smile graced your lips.  
You noticed a pair of eyes, the same shade as the tail but twinkling with mischief visible even in the water, watching you carefully.  
Your smile widened.  
You then saw the incredibly long, thick raven hair, floating in the water with an effortless sense of grace.  
His head broke the surface the of the water, eyes reopening and blinking rapidly for a moment. He gasped a little as his lips passed, getting once again used to breathing through his nose instead of the alternate method of gills, present on his pale neck but hidden by his dark hair. His body followed, swimming toward the rocks, lean arms pulling himself up to sit on the rock and shuffle closer to you, still somehow managing to pull it off with grace, half of his tail still submerged. He breathed deeply, chest rising and falling, before looking up at you and your disbelieving expression. A sly smile made it’s way to his handsome face.  
“Thought I would not turn up, little human?”  
Your mouth opened a little, before closing again. Eventually, you nodded. Loki’s smile widened, seemingly taking no offence.  
“I’ll have you know, dear, that I keep my promises.”  
You nodded again, smiling a little in return to the one on his lips, and sat down beside him.  
“How’s your tail?”  
“Good as new. No need for any stitches.” He added indignantly, lifting his tail to show you, yet there was nothing to show. There was no wound, no scar, nothing.  
“Wow.” You breathed, in a little awe. “You really do heal quick.”  
“That we do, thank the Norns. Mother would have gone ballistic if I returned home injured, especially with that healer instinct of hers.” Loki said, shaking his head in fond exasperation. You smiled and giggled.  
“You’re a mama’s boy? That’s adorable!”  
Loki looked up, eyes widening as he realized what he’d said and pale cheeks going just a little pink.  
“Absolutely not!” He argued heatedly. You laughed at his efforts, finding them more endearing than anything.  
“Are too. I can see it in those pretty green eyes, you are the biggest mama’s boy.”  
He scoffed, rolling his eyes. His gaze landed on the water, and a moment’s silence passed.  
“How are you, fish boy?”  
Loki’s gaze snapped up to meet yours, body tensing. You didn’t understand why at first, maybe it was the nickname, but as his intense green hues scanned over your features cautiously, you realized it was the question that had triggered such a reaction. You realized he was completely unused to such a simple question, asking how he was. It made you wonder what life was like for him, under the water where no human looked.  
“I am fine.” He replied eventually, his tone composed and a little formal. “And yourself?”  
You eyed him for a moment, before smiling widely. He didn’t know how to react to such questions, it dawned on you. He couldn’t tell if you were genuinely interested or just being polite. You decided to subtly show him that you were genuine.  
“I’m okay, I guess. Tired, but more mentally than anything. I took a nap a few hours ago, but the day has dragged in general. I met up with a close friend, though, so that was nice.”  
Loki looked a little shocked at your easy openness. Were all humans like this, or were you truly trying to befriend him? Or did you already see him as a friend?  
“That does sound nice.” He said eventually. “I suppose some days do have a tendency to drag.”  
And slowly, he began opening up to you. It took time, of course, and a lot of patience. It was a an effort on both your behalves, but slowly, with each midnight meetup, you began learning about each other.


	6. six

A good few months had passed since that first meeting.  
You learnt a lot about each other.  
You learnt about how Loki was actually a prince, whilst adopted, still a prince, of his underwater kingdom.  
You learnt how he hated his adoptive father, but was also so desperate nonetheless to please him, to make him proud, yet was constantly pushed into the shadow of his older brother, Thor.  
You learnt how he loved his mother, how she had taught him everything he knew, how she was the only light to him in his dark life under the sea.  
You learnt more about Loki as a person, how he was mischievous and cunning, and quite the silvertongue, but also how loyal and caring and intelligent and sweet he could really be.  
However, at the heart of it all, you learnt that he was really just a lost man seeking acceptance.

He learnt about you too, of course.  
He grew quite fond of his little human, really.  
He learnt how you’d always dreamed of living by the sea when you were older, and how happy you were to make that dream a reality.  
He learnt how your parents lived so far from the coast, you barely saw them, and noticed the look of longing and homesickness in your (e/c) eyes as you told him all about your family home.  
But he also learnt how proud you were of yourself for finally settling in your own home, your own job, fully independent and a strong person he truly respected and admired.  
He learnt how stubborn and ill-tempered you could sometimes be, but also how kind and genuine of a person you always were at heart.  
He truly enjoyed spending time with you, and always looked forward to when he could swim to the surface of the sea, look out at the beautiful moon he never got to appreciate until when he met you, and know in his heart that you were there, waiting patiently for him. An ear to listen and a heart to give.

But back to now, you were running late for your weekly meetings.  
Rushing around the house, you grabbed this and that, hoping Loki wouldn’t grow impatient and swim off.  
You knew how important punctuality was to him, but your work shift had been longer and really tired you out, and then you overslept your nap…

It’d be fine.

You ran out of your house, now clad in only a (s/f/c) sweatshirt and jeans. It was a summer night, and while chilly, it wasn’t as cold as the autumn you met him in.  
Hopping over the rock in your Converse, you jump down to the usual spot, already speaking.  
“Sorry I’m late, Lokes, I ov-”  
You paused and looked around, frowning.  
Maybe he was running late too?  
It could happen.  
Sitting down in front of the water, you dipped your fingertips in it, admiring the gentle swirls and ripples it created. After a few moments, your eyes began wandering, scanning the depths for a familiar glint of a tail or lock of dark hair.

Nothing.  
You sighed, pushing a (h/c) lock out of your face and fixing your hair a little.  
You decided to wait, wait patiently as Loki would for you.  
So you waited.  
Fifteen minutes passed.  
And you waited.  
Half an hour had passed.  
And you waited.  
An hour had passed.  
You were growing tired and bleary and bored without Loki’s presence, confused as to why he hadn’t yet appeared.  
Maybe he forgot?  
Or prince duties called?  
Or he was in trouble?  
Or maybe…maybe he grew bored of you?  
You scowled at the thought.  
“Loki isn’t like that.” You muttered to yourself, before yawning.  
You had to go, you couldn’t risk falling asleep here. Not without Loki.  
With a reluctant sigh, you stood up, dusting off your jeans and fixing your sleeves, clambering back up over the rock.

“(Y/n)! (Y/N)!”  
Your eyes widened and you swivelled round, and in the process, falling down unceremoniously. You looked up from your position on the ground to see Loki, body hoisted up on the rocks, droplets of water dripping down his body as usual.  
You felt your cheeks flush with embarassment.  
“H-Hi.”  
“Hello, (y/n). I apologise for scaring you. I-I just didn’t want you to leave. I also apologise for my tardiness.”  
You saw the smile on his lips, but it was somewhat forced.  
“What’s wrong, Lokes? What happened?” You asked, concern washing over you. His eyes were red and his lips looked as if he’d been chewing on them, and not in the attractive way he sometimes did when he was deep in thought.  
He stayed silent, looking down at his hands laying flat on the rock.  
Something had definitely happened.  
“Loki?” You asked softly.  
He looked back up at you with those piercing emerald eyes, and suddenly they were welling with tears.  
“M-My mother, Fri-igga, is d-d-dead.”  
It was the only statement he managed to choke out before the tears came pouring down his cheek, his body shaking as he bit his lip harshly to silence his sobs.  
You stared, stunned. Your lips parted.  
Loki Odinson, bursting into tears in front of you.  
You knew how much Frigga meant to him, and how hard it was for him to show vulnerability to anyone. For him to show that side to you, the human…  
“I’m so sorry, Loki.”

You jumped into action suddenly, wrapping your arms around his body and pulling him into your chest, not caring how the seawater on him soaked your top. He buried his face in the crook of your neck, continuing his crying.  
You ran your hands through his damp, long hair, murmuring whatever words of comfort you could come up with, though you were sure he wasn’t listening anyway.  
It took a while, but eventually Loki was reduced to occasional sniffs.  
“I-I… I apo-ologi-”  
“Hush.” You interrupted gently. “No need.”  
He sat up, looking up at you with a look you couldn’t quite put a finger on, before nodding quietly.  
“Would you like to talk about it?” You continued, wiping the tears from his cheeks. He frowned, looking down. He seemed to space out a bit, reliving the memory, before looking back up at you, shaking his head.  
“That’s okay.” You murmured, cupping his cheek. Even after crying, he still looked so…regal and poised. You offered him a small smile.  
“What are you going to do now, then?”  
Loki frowned again in thought, drawing out a shaky breath.  
“I… I cannot go back there. Not now, at least. There is nothing for me to go back to.” He replied, voice slightly hoarse. You nodded.

Frigga had been his home, his comfort, the only light in the dark life he had in that world that you only knew from the words that Loki had offered you, ones that painted pictures in your mind.  
“Then where will you go?” You asked, suddenly worried this would be the last you would see of him for a long time, or ever.  
Loki didn’t reply for a long time, but eventually he spoke in an uncharacteristically small tone.  
“I-I was hoping… I was hoping I could s-stay with you.”  
Your eyes widened slightly, and you frowned in confusion.  
“Loki…” You said slowly. “Sweetheart, I don’t know if you realized yet, but you have a fish tail instead of legs…”  
“I know that.” Loki said quickly, almost snappily. “But I found a spell, it was difficult, which is why I was late, but… It would give me legs. It would let me hide in your world, so Thor and-and Odin cannot find me.”  
Your frown deepened with your thoughts, and you swallowed thickly.  
“L-Legs? What about your tail?”  
“See, that’s the beauty of the spell. It would allow me to manipulate when I wanted either, but… It would require a small sacrifice from you.” He finished quietly.  
“Your first kiss.”


End file.
